Iosif Iosifovich Kotek

Iosif Iosifovich Kotek

Russian violinist.
Date of Birth: 06.11.1855
Country: Switzerland

Biography of Iosif Kotek

Iosif Iosifovich Kotek was a Russian violinist and the close friend and pupil of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He played a crucial role in helping Tchaikovsky resolve issues with writing the solo part in his 'Violin Concerto in D'. Although there is evidence suggesting that Kotek and Tchaikovsky were lovers for a period of time, the violinist's life was not limited to same-sex relationships.

Kotek was born on October 25, 1855, in Kamenets-Podolsk, Ukraine. He studied violin at the Moscow Conservatory under the guidance of Jan Hřímalý and studied music theory with Tchaikovsky himself. Kotek had immense respect for the composer and was his favorite student, affectionately referred to as "Kotik" by Tchaikovsky.

In a letter to his brother Modest in 1876, Tchaikovsky wrote, "When he (Iosif) caresses me with his hand, when his head rests on my chest, and when I run my hand through his hair and steal a kiss... passion rages within me with unimaginable force... But I have no desire for physical intimacy. I feel that if it were to happen, I would cool towards him. It would disgust me if this wonderful young man, by demeaning his dignity, were to unite with an old fat man."

Kotek graduated from the conservatory in 1876. By this time, Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow and patroness, had requested a violinist from the conservatory to perform chamber music and other works in her home. Nikolai Rubinstein recommended Kotek, and Tchaikovsky, who had left the conservatory and was struggling financially abroad, became an intermediary between the wealthy Meck and the talented composer, marking the beginning of their 14-year collaboration. Peter and Nadezhda never met during this time.

In 1877, Tchaikovsky dedicated the 'Valse-Scherzo' to Kotek. In the same year, the composer spontaneously married Antonina Miliukova, a former student of the conservatory. Alexander Poznansky claims that Tchaikovsky and Kotek had an intimate relationship during this period. The marriage with Miliukova was doomed from the start, and the couple separated just a few weeks later. Subsequently, the mutual attachment between Kotek and Tchaikovsky only grew stronger.

However, Kotek's biography is filled with numerous episodes revealing his relationships with many women from Nadezhda von Meck's extended family, causing the wealthy patroness to view him with increasing coldness. When Kotek asked her for financial assistance, she refused. As a result, he went to Berlin to refine his violin skills under Joseph Joachim.

In late 1878, Kotek and Tchaikovsky rekindled their friendship in Paris, but the composer found his friend's "incredible dissoluteness" increasingly irritating, stating that he felt "unpleasant rather than pleasant" in his company. In November 1879, when the two met in Berlin, Tchaikovsky considered the meeting more exhausting than enjoyable. In 1881, Tchaikovsky asked Kotek to perform in his 'Violin Concerto in D', but the violinist declined, leading to the final rupture of their friendship.

After studying with Joachim until 1882, Kotek began teaching at the Hochschule für Musik. His health deteriorated, and by 1884, signs of tuberculosis appeared. Kotek went to Davos, Switzerland, for treatment, and Tchaikovsky, temporarily forgetting the past, visited him in November of the same year. Tchaikovsky provided whatever assistance he could for six days before returning to Moscow.

Iosif Kotek passed away at the age of 30 on January 4, 1885, a fact Tchaikovsky learned from a telegram. The composer himself died on November 6, 1893, which happened to be Kotek's birthday.

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